Adjustable car carrier

ABSTRACT

A carrier attached to a vehicle to enable articles such as bicycles to be transported. The carrier comprising an article support member rotatably coupled to a substantially horizontal base member. The base member is designed to be securely inserted within a standard hitch receiver commonly found on many vehicles. The article support member includes a support column oriented in a generally vertical direction and a holding member generally perpendicular to said support column for securing the articles. The carrier further comprises a resistive member coupled to the article support member and the base member to drastically lessens the rotational speed of the article support member during unloading of the article and accessing of a rear hatch door of the vehicle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an adjustable carrier attached to avehicle for securing various articles such as bicycles, skis,wheelchairs and the like. More particularly, the present inventionrelates to the adjustable carrier capable of being slowly rotateddownward toward the ground in order to facilitate loading and unloadingof the articles and to gain access to a rear entry of the vehicle.

2. Background of the Field

It is commonly known that carriers, particularly bicycle racks, havebeen designed to be secured in a detachable manner to a conventionalhitch receiver mounted on the vehicle. Such carriers typically employ arectangular shaped tube that is inserted into a rectangular trailerhitch receiver mounted to the vehicle. One such conventional bicyclerack is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,646,414 to Deguevara. This bicyclerack employs a L-shaped clamp member that has a telescopic verticalportion, which is received within a tube or slide member secured to theback of a vertical column of the rack. The bicycles are disposed on ahook-like portion and secured on the L-shaped clamp member. However,this type of bicycle rack affords many disadvantages, among which isthat it was cumbersome to use because it had no pivoting mechanism tofacilitate easy loading and unloading of the bicycles as well as easyaccess to the vehicle. Another disadvantage is that it is unstableduring transport and provides little security since it is quite easy tobend the hook-like portion.

Another conventional bicycle rack is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,190,195,issued to Fullhart et al. (hereinafter referred to as the "'195patent"). This bicycle rack discloses a base assembly, a verticalsupport and a crossbar assembly. The vertical support is pivotallyconnected to the base assembly through a first pull-pin lockingmechanism which, when removed, allows the vertical support to freelyrotate downward about a ninety-degree angle. Similarly, the crossbarassembly is pivotally connected to the vertical support through a secondpull pin locking mechanism. A pair of hook rods extends outward from theouter ends of the crossbar assembly for supporting either one or twobicycles. Each of these hook rods has a threaded end which is insertedthrough a corresponding aperture at the outer ends of the crossbar andare held in place through nuts. This conventional rack has severaldisadvantages of which the present invention has overcome.

A first disadvantage is related to the manner in which the bicycles aresupported. In the '195 patent, the bicycles are supported by the pair ofhook rods coupled to the assembly through a conventional nut/boltlocking mechanism. During normal transportation, these hook rods tend tobecome bent in a downward sloping direction due to forces being exertedthereon; namely, a gravitational force associated with the weight of thebicycles in combination with additional forces caused by oscillation ofthe bicycles as the vehicle experiences common bumps and indentationsduring transport. In rough terrain, the additional forces exerted on thepair of hook rods could substantially bend the hook rods, and possiblyin some cases, cause the hook rods to break, resulting in damage to thebicycles or worse yet, in injury to passing motorists and pedestrians.

Another disadvantage associated with the bicycle rack illustrated in the'195 patent is that no safety mechanism is employed to protect personsor property from harm in the event that the first pull-pin becomesinadvertently dislodged. For example, a curious child may easily removethe pull-pin causing the vertical support, in combination with one ortwo bicycles, to come crashing downward injuring the child. It isevident that there existed no mechanism which applies force directlyagainst the supporting member in order allow such supporting member tobe slowly rotated downward at an approximately 90° to its normal uprightposition or, better yet to be positioned at an angle less than 90° fromthe upright position for easier removal of the bicycles.

A further disadvantage is that the conventional bicycle rack has nosecurity features to prevent theft of the bicycles while mounted on theconventional bicycle rack. Anyone could quickly remove the secondpull-pin holding a clamping arm in place, raise the clamping arm andremove the bicycles in a few moments. Hence, it would be desirous tocreate a carrier which eliminates the above disadvantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In light of the foregoing, it can be appreciated that there exists abona fide need for a theft-resistant adjustable carrier which is slowlypivotable and less susceptible to damage due to the weight and bouncingof the bicycles during transport. Accordingly, it would be a greatadvantage and therefore an object of the present invention to provide acarrier that is slowly rotated in a downward direction only if force isapplied in the same rotational downward direction.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a carrier thatsecurely supports articles during transport without an appreciable riskof breakage or damage during transport.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a carrier whichis securely locked to prevent theft of the articles when the vehicle isstationary.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a carrierwhich provides access to the rear of the vehicle without removing thecarrier and/or the articles secured thereto.

The present invention is a carrier comprising an article support memberrotatably coupled to a substantially horizontal base member. The basemember is designed to be securely inserted within a standard hitchreceiver generally mounted to sport utility vehicles, trucks, minivansand other types of vehicles. The article support member includes avertical support column and a generally horizontal holding member towhich various articles are fastened. In order to prevent abrupt andconsequentially dangerous downward rotation of the article supportmember, a resistive member is coupled to the article support member andthe horizontal base member. The resistive member drastically lessensnormal rotational speed of the article support member during possibleunloading of the article and access to the vehicle through a rear hatchdoor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The objects, features and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following detailed description of the presentinvention in which:

FIG. 1 is a prospective view of the first embodiment of the adjustablecarrier mounted to a trailer hitch receiver wherein the support memberrotated downward in order to facilitate easy loading and unloading ofthe article.

FIG. 2 is another prospective view of the first embodiment of theadjustable carrier illustrating how the carrier is coupled to thetrailer hitch receiver.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the first embodiment showing the resistivemember coupled to the base member and the support member in which asufficient force needs to be applied in a direction parallel to thedownward rotational direction to rotate the support member.

FIG. 4 is a prospective view of the first embodiment of the adjustablecarrier fastening an article to a resting plate of the holding member.

FIG. 5 is a prospective view of the holding member.

FIG. 6 is a prospective view of a second embodiment of the presentinvention incorporating a holding member extension coupled to theholding member.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention describes an adjustable carrier detachably mountedto a vehicle through a hitch receiver of the vehicle. In the followingdetailed description, numerous specific details are set forth, such asthe specific pressure within a resistive member to prevent abrupt andunwanted downward rotation. Such details are used to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the present invention. However, it is apparent to oneskilled in the art that the invention may be practiced without thesedetails. In other instances, well known elements, components and thelike are not set forth in detail in order to avoid unnecessary obscuringof the present invention. Although the present disclosure discusses acarrier for transporting bicycles, it is contemplated that the presentinvention can be designed to transport any type of article includingskis, wheelchairs and the like.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a first embodiment of the adjustable carrier 1mounted to a vehicle and positioned in a downward rotated position forremoval of an article (e.g., a bicycle) to gain access to a rear of thevehicle is illustrated. The carrier 1 comprises a substantiallyhorizontal base member 2 with an article support member 10 pivotallymounted to the base member 2. The base member 2 includes a stationarymember 3 and a mounting insert 4 both protruding in opposite directions.The mounting insert 4 is capable of being inserted into a hitch receiver5 in order to attach the carrier 1 to a vehicle. The mounting insert 4is of sufficient width and length to be securely fastened with the hitchreceiver 5. However, it is contemplated that the carrier 1 may besecurely mounted to a rear bumper of the vehicle for transportationpurposes or any stationary structure for use as a locking device.

The article support member 10 includes a support column 11 and a holdingmember 12 joined at a substantially right angle to each other. Theholding member 12 is of a length in the range of twelve to twenty-fourinches being capable of preferably supporting two bicycles, but it iscontemplated that the holding member 12 could be designed to support aplurality of skis, a wheelchair and any other similar articles. A pairof article stabilizers 13a and 13b are mounted onto the holding member12 in order to securely maintain a frame of a bicycle as illustrated toprevent sliding during transport, but it is further contemplated thatonly one or more than two article stabilizers may be used.

A securing member 15 is pivotally coupled to the article support member10 through a locking mechanism such as a first locking bolt 16. Thefirst locking bolt 16 is a bolt having nuts permanently fastenedthereto. The securing mechanism 15 is U-shaped having a sufficientheight to enable it to completely enclose the article stabilizers 13aand 13b when the securing mechanism 15 is in a closed position asillustrated in FIGS. 2-4 respectively.

The article support member 10 is pivotally coupled to the base member 2by a second locking bolt 17, allowing the article support member 10 tobe rotated downward along a plane including the support column 11 byremoving a pull-pin 18 and applying an external force (e.g., pushing orpulling) in a direction generally parallel to this downward rotationdirection. The article support member 10 is maintained in an uprightposition by the second locking bolt 17 in combination with the pull-pin18. Upon removing the pull-pin 18, the support member 10 remains in theupright position through a resistive member 19 applying a force againstthe support column 11, thereby preventing the article support member 10from being rotated within the plane.

The resistive member 19 is coupled to the stationary member 3 and to thesupport column 11 of the article support member 10 so as to generallyform a right triangle. By applying the external force along the plane,the article support member 10 can be downwardly and upwardly rotated ina safe and slow manner. Moreover, a stopping device 20 can be mountedonto the stationary member 3 in order to limit the downward rotationalangle of the article support member 10. The purpose of the stoppingdevice 20 is three-fold. First, it protects mounting hardware of theresistive member from unwanted stress. Secondly, its placement allowsthe article support member 10 to be rotated sufficiently to enable oneto gain access to the rear of the vehicle or unload the articles.Finally, it prevents injury or damage to articles that may be caused bythe pull-pin being inadvertently removed.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a more-detailed prospective view of themounting of the carrier 1 to the hitch receiver 5 is illustrated. Inorder to provide a more reliable attachment, the mounting insert 4includes an opposite pair of insert apertures 6 and 7 corresponding indiameter and distance to an opposite pair of apertures 8 and 9 normallypre-drilled within conventional hitch receivers. In the absence of thepre-drilled receiver apertures 8 and 9, the hitch receiver 5 can be easymodified through drilling such receiver apertures 8 and 9.

The mounting insert 4 is first inserted into the hitch receiver 5between six to twelve inches so that the insert apertures 6 and 7 andthe receiver apertures 8 and 9 are aligned. Then, a locking mechanism,such as a deadbolt 41, is inserted through both the insert and receiverapertures 6-9 and fastened accordingly in order to securely attach thecarrier 1 and more specifically the mounting insert 4 to the hitchreceiver 5.

Optimally, after insertion and attachment of the mounting insert 4 intothe hitch receiver 5, an anti-sway bracket 42 is coupled to the mountinginsert by two threaded apertures 43 and 44 in combination with twothreaded screws 45 and 46. The anti-sway bracket 42 includes a generally"L" shaped bracket member in which a surface of a first portion 42a ofthe anti-sway bracket 42, when attached, rests against the mountinginsert 4 and an edge of a second portion 42b of the bracket restsagainst the hitch receiver 5. By tightening the threaded screws, theanti-sway bracket 42 mitigates sliding of the carrier from side-to-sideduring transport.

Referring to FIG. 3, it illustrates the operation of the resistivemember 19 in combination with the downward rotation of the articlesupport member 10. After the pull-pin 18 is removed and the externalforce is applied along the plane as indicated by an arrow labeled "DRD",the article support member 10 is downwardly rotated until it comes intocontact with the stopping device 20. The stopping device 20 is atriangular shaped device in which the angle between a front surface 20aof the stopping device 20 and a top surface of the stationary member 3is equal to predetermined angle A, typically less than or equal to 45°.As a result, the rotation of the article support member 10 is restrictedto an angle corresponding to 90° angle A which allows easier unloadingof the articles being transported and provides rear access to thevehicle.

The resistive member 19 is typically a gas shock having a predeterminedpressure having a range of 120-250 pounds per square inch ("psi") ofpressure. In this embodiment, the predetermined pressure of theresistive member 19 is set preferably at 140 psi; however, it iscontemplated that the resistive member 19 could apply greater or lesserpressure against the support column 11 depending on how much resistanceis required in view of the weight of the articles supported thereon andany other forces being exerted thereon during transportation. Thearticle support member 10 is pivotally mounted to the base member 2through the second locking bolt 17 being drive rivets in combinationwith the pull-pin 18.

Referring now to FIG. 4, the securing mechanism 15 in the closedposition is illustrated. The securing member 15 includes a C-shapedbracket member 21 and a horizontal bracket member 22 having an aperture23 therein. The bracket member 21 is of sufficient length and heightfrom the holding member 12 to secure articles positioned on the articlestabilizers 13a and 13b as shown in FIG. 5.

The bracket member 21 is pivotably coupled to a first end of the holdingmember 12 while secured at a second end of the holding member 12. Thebracket member 21 is secured to the holding member 12 by aligning theaperture 23 of the horizontal bracket member 22 with a pair of apertures27 and 28 in the holding member 12, which is preferably hollow asillustrated, and inserting a locking mechanism 29, such as a deadboltlock, therethrough. As a result, the securing mechanism 15 is placed ina locked, closed position until removal of the locking mechanism 29.This prevents theft of the articles when a vehicle is stationary ordislodging of the articles during transport. However, it is contemplatedthat a bore could be drilled through the holding member 12, providedthat the holding member is solid.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a bicycle 47 is being detachably secured to thearticle stabilizer 13a, wherein every article stabilizer preferablybeing a pair of resting plates joined to form a general V-shapedconstruction, by placing a frame of the bicycle 47 laterally across thearticle stabilizer 13a. Then, at least one, but preferably a pair ofstraps 48 and 49 are guided through slits of the article stabilizer 13aand wrapped around the bicycle's frame. The straps 48 and 49 are thenfastened securely so that the bicycle 47 will not become partiallydislodged and unstable during transport. The article stabilizers 13a and13b and the bracket member 21 may also include padding (e.g., neoprene)14 and 25, respectively along their respective interior surfaces inorder to prevent scratching of the article during transportation.However, such padding 14 and 25 of either interior surface is notrequired.

In FIG. 6, a second embodiment of the present invention is shown, inwhich a holding member extension 30 is coupled to the holding member 12of the article support member 10. Such coupling is achieved by theholding member extension 30 having an insert 31 with a cross-sectionalarea 32 less than a cross-sectional area 33 of the holding member 12,although it is contemplated that a person skilled in the art coulddesign an extension such that its cross-sectional area is greater thanthe cross-sectional area of the holding member 12 for appropriateattachment. The holding member extension 30 further includes a secondpair of article stabilizers 37a and 37b mounted on the extension 30 anda second pair of aligned apertures 38a and 38b.

A second securing mechanism 34, similar in look and function to thefirst securing mechanism 15 is coupled to the extension 30. The secondsecuring mechanism 34 includes a second bracket member 35 raised fromthe extension at a height above the second pair of article stabilizers37a and 37b and a second horizontal extension 36 having an aperture 38to be aligned with the apertures of (i) the holding member 27 and 28,(ii) the first horizontal bracket member 23 and (iii) the extension 38aand 38b. After alignment, the locking mechanism 29 is placedtherethrough to secure holding member extension 30 to the holding member12. However, the second bracket member 35 of the holding memberextension 30 is not pivotally coupled to the extension 30, but rather,it is secured to the extension 30 by inserting an end portion 40 of thesecond bracket member 35 into an open portion 39 of the holding memberextension 30.

The present invention described herein may be designed in many differentmethods and using many different components while the present inventionhas been described in terms of various embodiments, other embodimentsmay come to mind to those skilled in the art without departing from thespirit and scope of the present invention. The invention should,therefore, be measure in terms of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is:
 1. A carrier adapted for use with a vehicle having areceiver means for receiving the carrier, said carriercomprising:mounting means for removably coupling said carrier to saidvehicle, wherein said mounting means includes a horizontal member havinga first end adapted to be inserted into the receiver means and a secondend; securing means for securing at least one article for transport,said securing means includingsupport means, rotatably coupled to saidmounting means intermediate to said first and second ends of saidhorizontal member, for supporting said at least one article duringtransport, and holding means for enclosing a portion of said at leastone article to prevent removal of said at least one article from saidcarrier, said holding means being coupled to said support means; andresistive means for resisting rotation of said securing means between anupright position and a lowered position being at a predetermined angleto said upright position, a first end of said resistive means beingcoupled to said horizontal member between said support means and saidsecond end of said horizontal member and a second end of the resistivemeans being coupled to said support means, wherein said resistive meansapplies a force directly against said support means to prevent saidsecuring means from abruptly rotating downward from said uprightposition.
 2. The carrier according to claim 1, wherein said first andsecond ends of said horizontal member are generally orthogonal to saidsupport means.
 3. The carrier according to claim 2, wherein saidmounting means further includes a stopping device mounted onto saidhorizontal member to enable said support means to be rotated for apredetermined angle until it establishes contact with a front surface ofsaid stopping device.
 4. The carrier according to claim 3, wherein saidpredetermined angle is equal to ninety degrees minus angle A, whereangle A is equal to an angle between the front surface of said stoppingdevice and a top surface of said horizontal member.
 5. The carrieraccording to claim 1, wherein said holding means includes a firstholding member including at least one article stabilizer mounted ontosaid first holding member and a securing member pivotably coupled to afirst end of said first holding member and secured to a second end ofsaid first holding member.
 6. The carrier according to claim 5, whereinsaid securing member is secured by aligning a pair of apertures throughsaid second end of said first holding member with an aperture of saidsecuring member and inserting a locking mechanism therethrough.
 7. Thecarrier according to claim 6, wherein said securing member includes aC-shaped bracket and an extended portion having said aperture beingaligned with said pair of apertures of said first holding member,wherein said C-shaped bracket in combination with said first holdingmember enclose said at least one article stabilizer in said securedposition.
 8. The carrier according to claim 7, wherein said at least onearticle stabilizer includes a pair of resting plates joined in a generalV-shape to mitigate sliding of said at least one article between saidresting plates.
 9. The carrier according to claim 1, wherein saidresistive member includes a gas shock having a pressure in a range of120-250 pounds per square inch.
 10. The carrier according to claim 5further comprising an extension coupled to said first holding member toenable the carrier to support an additional article, said extrusionincludinga second holding member having a first end and a second end,wherein said first end of said second holding member is coupled to saidsecond end of said first holding member, and a second securing membercoupled to said first and second ends of said second holding member. 11.The carrier according to claim 10, wherein said extension furthercomprises at least a second article stabilizer disposed on said secondholding member such that, when said second securing member is coupled tosaid second holding member, said second article stabilizer is fullyenclosed by said second holding member and said second securing member.12. The carrier according to claim 11, wherein said second securingmember of said extension includes a bracket member having a connectingportion inserted into an opening at said second end of said secondholding member for coupling said bracket member to said second holdingmember and a horizontal portion having an aperture aligned with saidpair of apertures through said second end of said first holding member.13. A carrier adapted for use with a vehicle having a receiver, saidcarrier comprising:a base member having a first end removably coupled tothe receiver of said vehicle and a second end; an article support memberplaced in an upright position during transport, said article supportmember includinga support column rotatably coupled to said base memberintermediate to said first and second end of said base member, whereinsaid support column is generally orthogonal to said base member whenplaced in said upright position, and a first holding member coupled tosaid support column, said first holding member supports said at leastone article during transport; a securing member pivotably coupled to afirst end of said first holding member and is secured at a second end ofsaid first holding member, said securing member encloses a portion ofsaid at least one article between said first holding member and saidsecuring member to prevent removal of said at least one article fromsaid carrier; and a resistive member coupled to said base member betweensaid support column and said second end of said base member, saidresistive member resists rotation of said article support member in adownward rotational direction from said upright position by applying aforce in a direction generally opposite said downward rotationaldirection against said support column to prevent said article supportmember from abruptly rotating downward from said upright position. 14.The carrier according to claim 13, wherein said resistive member is agas shock.
 15. The carrier according to claim 14, wherein said basemember is oriented in a generally horizontal direction when coupling thecarrier to the vehicle.
 16. The carrier according to claim 13, whereinsaid securing member includes a bracket rotatably coupled to said firstend of said first holding member so as to remain generally planar tosaid first holding member.
 17. The carrier according to claim 16 furthercomprising an extension to enable the carrier to support at least oneadditional article, said extension including (i) a second holding memberhaving a first and second ends wherein said first end of said secondholding member is removably coupled to said second end of said firstholding member and (ii) a second securing member removably coupled tosaid second end of the second holding member.
 18. A carrier adapted foruse with a vehicle having a receiver, said carrier comprising:a basemember having a first end adapted to be inserted into the receiver and asecond end; an article support member coupled to said base memberintermediate to said first and second ends of said base member, saidarticle support member supports at least one article through at leastone article stabilizer, said article support member including a supportcolumn generally orthogonal to said base member when placed in anupright position and a first holding member generally planar to saidsupport column; a stopping device, mounted on said stationary member, toprohibit further movement of the support column in a downward rotationaldirection once the support column makes contact against a front surfaceof said stopping device; a securing member pivotably coupled to a firstend of said first holding member and is secured to a second end of saidfirst holding member, said securing member encloses a portion of said atleast one article between said first holding member and said securingmember to prevent removal of said at least one article from saidcarrier; and a resistive member to resist rotation of said articlesupport member in the downward rotational direction from said uprightposition, a first end of said resistive member being coupled to saidbase member between said article support member and said second end ofsaid base member and a second end of said resistive member being coupledto said support column, wherein said resistive member applies a force ina direction opposite said downward rotational direction directly againstsaid support column to prevent said article support member from abruptlyrotating downward from said upright position.
 19. The carrier accordingto claim 18, wherein said resistive member is a gas shock applying theforce between 120 and 250 pounds per square inch against said supportcolumn.
 20. The carrier according to claim 19 further comprising anextension removably coupled to said first holding member, said extensionenables the carrier to support at least one additional article, saidextension including a second holding member coupled to said second endof said first holding member and a second securing member removablycoupled to one end of the second holding member.